UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., Nov. 29, 2011 - Penn State (5-2) will be looking for its fourth win in its last five Big Ten/ACC Challenge games when the Nittany Lions travel to Boston College (2-4) for a 7:15 p.m. tip Wednesday night on ESPNU. The game can also be heard live on the Penn State Sports Network.

The Big Ten has won the last two Challenges by a slim 6-5 margin after the ACC Claimed the initial 10. Penn State is 4-6 all-time in Challenge games after having a three-game Challenge win streak snapped last year with a loss to Maryland in the Jordan Center. Penn State has won in its last two Challenge road games winning at Georgia Tech (2008) and at Virginia (2009).

Boston College leads the all-time series with the Lions, 6-5. This will be the first meeting between the programs since Penn State fell, 88-65, at B.C. in 2001.
Penn State is completing a series of four of five games away from the Jordan Center. Penn State will return to the BJC Sunday for a 6:00 p.m. tip vs. Mississippi.

Penn State will return to the BJC for a two-game home stand starting Sunday vs. SEC foe Mississippi. This will be the second game of a home-and-home series. Ole Miss posted an 84-71 victory in Oxford last year in the first-ever meeting between the programs. Penn State is 8-16 all-time vs. SEC teams.

THE GAME:

Penn State will complete a run of 4-of-5 games away from the Jordan Center when it takes on Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., Wednesday as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. B.C. is unbeaten (5-0) in Challenge games - winning at Indiana (88-76) last year. Penn State has lost its last four non-conference road games (going 0-2 last year at Mississippi and Virginia Tech) and will be looking for its first non-con road win since winning at Virginia (69-66) as part of the 2009 Challenge. PSU is 5-6 all-time vs. B.C., having last faced the Eagles in an 88-65 loss at B.C. in 2001. B.C. has won four of the last five meetings. The Lions last downed B.C., 85-57, at home in 1999, and are 2-2 at B.C. - last winning there, 68-64, in 1972.

BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE:

The Big Ten has won the Challenge, 6-5, the last two years after the ACC claimed the initial first 10 Challenges. The ACC leads the Challenge with an overall record of 72-47. PSU owns a 4-6 record in Challenge games, competing in 10 of the 12, and has won three of its last four Challenge games, including its last two on the road - at Georgia Tech (2008) and at Virginia (2009). The Lions fell 62-39 vs. Maryland in their Challenge game last year in the Jordan Center. The loss ended a run of three-straight Challenge victories for the Penn State, which was the first Big Ten team to claim a Challenge victory in three-straight seasons. PSU is 2-3 in Challenge road games, having also played at Clemson and N.C. State and two games at Georgia Tech. Penn State's four wins in the Challenge rank tied for the sixth-most among Big Ten teams. Wisconsin leads all Big Ten teams with six Challenge wins. The 2011 Challenge schedule is on page 3.

BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE SCHEDULE:

NOV. 29

Michigan at Virginia - 7 p.m. - ESPN2

Northwestern at Georgia Tech - 7:15 p.m. - ESPNU

Illinois at Maryland - 7:30 p.m. - ESPN

Miami (Fla.) at Purdue - 9 p.m.- ESPN2

Clemson at Iowa - 9:15 p.m. - ESPNU

Duke at Ohio State - 9:30 p.m. - ESPN

NOV. 30

Indiana at NC State - 7:15 p.m. - ESPN2

Penn State at Boston College - 7:15 p.m.-ESPNU

Florida State at Michigan State -7:30 p.m.- ESPN

Virginia Tech at Minnesota -9:15 p.m.- ESPN2

Wake Forest at Nebraska - 9:15 p.m. - ESPNU

Wisconsin at North Carolina - 9:30 p.m. - ESPN

BACK TO BOSTON:

Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers and much of the current Penn State staff guided Boston University for the previous two seasons helping lead the Terriers to 21-14 records and post-season play in both seasons. BU won the America East Tournament last year and earned a berth in the 2011 NCAA Tournament where it fell to Kansas. Current Lion assistant Brian Daly served as Chambers' associate head coach at BU, while director of operations Ross Condon was an assistant at BU and video coordinator Adam Fisher was the director of operations at BU.

SCOUTING B.C.:

The Eagles return to Boston after going 1-2 at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif. last week. B.C. dropped to 2-4 on the year after falling, 75-57, to New Mexico on Sunday in Anaheim. Junior Oregon transfer Matt Humphrey and freshman Lonnie Jackson both had 12 points in that game. The Eagles have an overtime victory over UC Riverside (66-62) and won their season-opener over New Hampshire (67-64). They fell 82-46 to UMass in their last home game. Freshman guard Patrick Heckman (6-5), a native of Germany, leads the Eagles scoring 13.8 ppg and led B.C. with 32 in the victory over Riverside. The Eagles are shooting 37.5 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three while scoring 58.5 ppg. They are giving up 71.8 ppg, allowing opponents to shoot 46 percent and are being out-rebounded 38.3-31.5 per game while averaging 15.7 turnovers per contest. B.C. went 21-13 last year (9-7 in the ACC) and lost to Northwestern in the second round of the NIT. They lost their top five scorers off that team.

HALTING FIRST HALVES:

Penn State is shooting nearly 20 percent better (46.4-29.3) and scoring 10 more points per game (36.4-26.1) in the second halves of games as compared to the first. The Lions have shot better than 40 percent in the second half of every game on the year, four times eclipsing 50 percent shooting. Penn State has shot less than 30 percent in the first half in four games and has shot better than 40 percent in just one, a 60 percent outing (including 7-of-10 from three) in a victory over Youngstown State. The Lions suffered through a 10-point first half in which they shot 4-of-38 from the floor (10.5%) and missed their first 16 shots in their loss at St. Joe's (11/26). Penn State similarly struggled scoring 15 points and shooting 16.2 percent in the first half in a loss to Kentucky (11/19).

20 & 10 AGAIN!:

For the third time in the first six games, junior Tim Frazier posted at least 20 points and 10 assists in a game in Penn State's win over Youngstown State (11/23). Frazier shot 8-of-11 from the floor for a team-high 26 points and added a career-best 11 assists, tying the eighth best game total in Penn State history. It marked Frazier's fourth career double-double (third of the season) and his fifth career 20-point game (4th of the season). Frazier now leads Penn State in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Frazier has 50 assists (the next closest Lion 9) and 17 steals (next closest Lion 9) on the year.

FRAZIER IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS:

Entering the week, junior guard Tim Frazier ranked third in the Big Ten in scoring (19.1), first in assists (7.1) and third in steals (2.4). He had a run of seven straight double-digit scoring games, dating to last season, snapped with scoring eight at St. Joe's on Saturday. Five of those games were 20-point outings, four this season, and three were career-high point totals.

HOT VS YSU:

Penn State hit 60 percent from the floor and 7-of-10 from three in the first half of its win over Youngstown State (11/23). Penn State's 56.5 percent shooting for the game vs. YSU is a season high and equaled the Lions' season-best posted last year. The Lions finished 11-of-22 from three in the game, also a season high.

Season tickets for Nittany Lion Basketball are $200 for adults, $170 for faculty/staff and seniors, $80 for youth (18 and under) and $59 for students. Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are $117 for adults, $91 for faculty/staff and seniors and $52 for youth. Penn State students will be admitted for free to Lady Lion basketball games beginning this season.

PNC Flex Books are also available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions' Coaches Vs. Cancer game on Feb. 11 vs. Nebraska and the Lady Lions' Think Pink game on Feb. 26 vs. Minnesota.

For all the latest information, notes, pictures and related links on Penn State basketball follow Associate Athletic Communications Director Brian Siegrist on Twitter (@PSUSTRETCH) and check GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatebasketball.